Commissioner Christopher O. Ward of the New York City Department
of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced today that in June
water main leak detection will be taking place in Jamaica, Queens,
in Community Boards 8, 10 and 12.

Commissioner Ward also announced that in the month of June catch
basin cleaning will take place in the following community boards:
Brooklyn CB7, 16 and 18; Manhattan CB10; Queens, CB4 and 13; Staten
Island CB3; Bronx CB5.

“Leak detection and catch basin cleaning are two important
functions of the DEP that people don’t usually notice unless
they’re done wrong,” said Ward. “Leak detection
has helped us improve the reliability of the water main system
and catch small leaks before they turn into large water main breaks.
Systematic catch basin cleaning is necessary for maintaining drainage
on our streets.”

Under the DEP’s Leak Detection Program, crews equipped
with sophisticated listening equipment check every water main in
a neighborhood for leaks by listening to the flow of water in water
mains. Leaks can usually be identified by the distinctive noise
pattern they produce in the water flow, and are repaired before
they can develop into larger water main breaks.

The Leak Detection Program surveys around 4,166 miles of water
mains every year and typically locates over 500 leaks. Every neighborhood
in the City gets checked at least once every three years. Some
neighborhoods are checked as often as every nine months, depending
on which of the City’s 14 sewage treatment plants they are
served by. There are about 6,600 miles of water mains in New York
City.

Catch basin cleaning is another City-wide program that reaches
every neighborhood in the City at least once every three years.
There are over 135,000 catch basins in the City, most of which
provide drainage at intersections. DEP crews move from neighborhood
to neighborhood, cleaning every catch basin along the way and removing
debris that might otherwise clog sewers or pollute local waterways.

Complaints about leaks or clogged catch basins should be directed
to 311.